The present application is based on Japanese Patent Applications No. 2001-143841 and 2001-143842, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus which is provided with a closing function for forcibly shifting a lock device from a half latched state to a fully latched state, and an opening function for actuating the lock device to be opened.
2. Related Art
There has been known a device of the type as described above which includes a latch capable of being engaged or disengaged with a striker, a lock device provided with a locking plate capable of being engaged or disengaged with the latch, and an actuating device having a rotary member which can be rotated by a motor from a neutral position in two opposite directions, normal and reverse, wherein the latch is adapted to be disengaged from the striker with a rotation of the rotary member from the neutral position in one direction, and the latch is adapted to be shifted from a half latched state to a fully latched state with a rotation of the rotary member in the other direction (Refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-B-5-27748, for example).
However, in the conventional device as described above, there has been such a problem that when the rotation of the motor has stopped during operation of the actuating device due to a trouble in an electrical system or some other reason, and the rotary member has stopped at a position other than the neutral position, the latch and the locking plate which have been moved by the rotary member will be restrained from moving, making the lock device inoperable, and so, it will be impossible to open or close a vehicle door or the like.
On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-2001-182407, the problem in the above has been solved. In the opening and closing device, even though the rotary member has stopped in a position other than the neutral position, a switching member interconnecting the rotary member and the actuating lever is shifted from a connecting state to a disconnecting state by operating a canceling lever, thereby disconnecting the coupling between the rotary member and the actuating lever, thus enabling the actuating lever to be returned to the neutral position.
However, the above opening and closing device has had such a problem that when the rotary member which has stopped at the position other than the neutral position is rotated to the neutral position, the actuating lever disconnected from the coupling with the rotary member and staying in the neutral position may be drawn by the rotation of the rotary member to be displaced from the neutral position. If this has happened, movement of the switching member from the disconnecting state to the connecting state would be difficult, and it would be necessary to reconnect the rotary member and the actuating lever which have been disconnected from each other, requiring troublesome works.
Further, the above opening and closing device has had such an anxiety that because the switching member is slidably engaged in an elongated hole in the canceling lever, when the switching member is moved to the disconnecting state by operating the canceling lever, the canceling lever may be restrained in the canceling position together with the switching member. If this has happened, it would be difficult to return the canceling lever to the waiting position, which incurs deterioration in quality.
In view of the problems that the related art has had as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus in which a lock device can be operated, even though a rotary member has stopped at a position other than a neutral position, and at the same time, coupling between the rotary member and an actuating lever is ensured in order to enhance quality of the product. Further, The present invention provides an opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus in which during canceling operation, return of the canceling lever to the waiting position is made possible, and quality of the product can be enhanced.
According to the present invention, the above described problems will be solved in the following manner;
(1) An opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus comprising:
a lock device actuated by a motor to be opened, and to be shifted from a half latched state to a fully latched state;
a rotary member rotatable from a neutral position in two of a normal direction and reverse direction by the motor;
an actuating lever linked to the rotary member, the actuating lever rotatable from a neutral position in an opening direction thereby to open the lock device, and being rotated in a closing direction opposite to the opening direction thereby to shift the lock device from the half latched state to the fully latched state;
an opening lever rotatable from a waiting position to an operating position by a rotation of the actuating lever in the opening direction thereby to open the lock device;
a switching member for connecting the rotary member and the actuating lever; and
an urging device for urging the actuating lever to the neutral position independently of the rotary member;
wherein the switching member is configured to be shifted between
a disconnecting state where the switching member disconnects a coupling between the rotary member and the actuating lever so that the actuating lever is rotated to the neutral position of the rotary member from a stopping position of the rotary member which is not the neutral position of the rotary member, and
a connecting state where the rotary member in the stop position is rotated to the neutral position of the rotary member and the switching member is retained to the actuating member which is in the neutral position of the actuating member thereby to establish the coupling between the rotary member and the actuating lever.
(2) An opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus according to the above item (1), the urging device including a helical coil spring provided with a first leg portion and a second leg portion,
wherein when the actuating lever is rotated in the opening direction from the neutral position, the first leg portion of the helical coil spring is engaged with the actuating lever, while the second leg portion is engaged with a base plate on which the opening lever is pivotally mounted, thereby urging the actuating lever to the neutral position thereof, and
when the actuating lever is rotated in the closing direction from the neutral position, the second leg portion of the helical coil spring is engaged with the actuating lever, while the first leg portion is engaged with the opening lever, thereby to respectively urge the actuating lever to the neutral position thereof, and the opening lever to the waiting position.
(3) An opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus comprising:
a lock device actuated by a motor to be opened, and to be shifted from a half latched state to a fully latched state;
a rotary member rotatable from a neutral position in two of a normal direction and reverse direction by the motor;
an actuating lever linked to the rotary member, the actuating lever rotatable from a neutral position in an opening direction thereby to open the lock device, and being rotated in a closing direction opposite to the opening direction thereby to shift the lock device from the half latched state to the fully latched state;
a switching member movable in a connecting state where the rotary member and the actuating lever are coupled through the switching member and a disconnecting state where the switching member disconnects a coupling between the rotary member and an actuating lever;
an urging device for urging the switching member from the disconnecting state to the connecting state; and
a canceling lever having a canceling arm portion adapted to be abutted against the switching member;
wherein the switching member is shifted from the connecting state to the disconnecting state by a rotation of the canceling lever from a waiting position to a canceling position, and
the switching member is moved apart from the switching member by a rotation of the canceling lever from the canceling position to the waiting position.
(4) An opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus comprising:
a lock device actuated by a motor to be opened, and to be shifted from a half latched state to a fully latched state;
a rotary member rotatable from a neutral position in two of a normal direction and reverse direction by the motor;
an actuating lever linked to the rotary member, the actuating lever rotatable from a neutral position in an opening direction thereby to open the lock device, and being rotated in a closing direction opposite to the opening direction thereby to shift the lock device from the half latched state to the fully latched state;
a switching member movable in a connecting state where the rotary member and the actuating lever are coupled through the switching member and a disconnecting state where the switching member disconnects a coupling between the rotary member and an actuating lever;
an urging device for urging the switching member from the disconnecting state to the connecting state;
a canceling lever having a canceling arm portion adapted to be abutted against the switching member; and
a guide device for guiding the canceling arm portion so as to move along a moving direction of the switching member, and so as not to move in a direction intersecting the moving direction;
wherein the switching member is shifted from the connecting state to the disconnecting state by a rotation of the canceling lever from a waiting position to a canceling position, and
the switching member is moved apart from the switching member by a rotation of the canceling lever from the canceling position to the waiting position.
(5) An opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus according to (4), wherein the guide device are provided in the actuating lever.
(6) An opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus according to (4) or (5), wherein the guide device includes a support portion which is brought into a slidable contact with one side face of the canceling arm portion to support the switching member movably, and a pressing portion provided adjacent to the support portion and brought into a slidable contact with another side face of the canceling arm portion.
(7) An opening and closing device of a vehicle lock apparatus according to (1) through (6), further comprising:
a switching hole formed on the rotary member, the switching hole having an arc-shaped idle portion laterally extending around a shaft pivotally supporting the rotary member, and a retaining portion radially extending from a substantially middle of the idle portion; and
an elongated hole formed on the actuating lever so as to be overlapped on the switching hole;
wherein the rotary member and the actuating lever are pivotally mounted on a common shaft and the switching member is slidably engaged in the switching hole and the elongated hole; and
wherein the switching member is retained at the retaining portion when the switching member is in the connecting state, and
the switching member is released from the retaining portion and slidably positioned in the idle portion when the switching member is in the disconnecting state.